Offshore Patrol Vessel

Lord Bach: My right honourable friend the Minister of State for the Armed Forces (Adam Ingram) has made the following Written Ministerial Statement.
	I am pleased to announce that the Ministry of Defence has approved the award of a contract with VT Maritime Affairs Ltd for the charter and logistic support of a new 1,854 tonne patrol vessel for use in the Falkland Islands.
	The new ship will be a modification of the highly-successful River class ships, also chartered from VT, currently employed for fishery protection. Like them, the new patrol vessel will also follow an innovative public/private partnership arrangement for the provision of maritime capability. While manned by the Royal Navy, the department will pay a set monthly fee for the provision of the ship and a guaranteed level of availability, with an incentivised payment structure to ensure that any shortfalls are dealt with promptly and effectively.
	The vessel will thus provide a significant increase in availability compared with the old, and increasingly difficult to maintain, Castle class ships that have provided the Falkland Islands patrol capability for the past two decades.
	It is planned that the ship will enter service in 2007, and be chartered for an initial period up to 2012. Over this period, she will generate in excess of £2 million savings compared with continuing to run the old ships, while providing at least as good an overall capability at a much lower level of risk.

Nanoscience and Nanotechnologies

Lord Sainsbury of Turville: My right honourable friend the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry (Ms Hewitt) has made the following Written Ministerial Statement.
	The Government's response to the Royal Society and Royal Academy of Engineering report Nanoscience and Nanotechnologies: Opportunities and Uncertainties, has been published today.
	The report was commissioned by Lord Sainsbury in June 2003 to, summarise current scientific knowledge on nanotechnology, identify applications of nanotechnology, both current and potential, with indications of when they might be developed, identify what environmental, health and safety, ethical and societal implications or uncertainties may arise from the use of the technology, both now and in the future and identify areas where additional regulation should be considered. The report was published in July 2004 and has 21 recommendations to government.
	Our response sets out the Government's agenda on nanotechnologies to ensure that the Government have clear policies and regulation, informed by good research, in place to ensure the responsible development of nanotechnologies in the UK.
	The response includes:
	A review of current safety regulations to make sure that safeguards for workers' health and the environment are robust;
	A new cross-government group to co-ordinate all aspects of research into nanoscience to underpin safety assessments;
	A consultation with industry and the EU on how companies could disclose their safety testing methods and label consumer products; and
	The Government will facilitate a dialogue with the science community and the public to explore both aspirations and concerns around the development of nanotechnologies.
	Our programme will be reviewed by the Council for Science and Technology after two and five years (i.e. 2007, 2010).
	The Prime Minister, the House of Commons Select Committee on Science and Technology and the House of Lords Select Committee on Science and Technology will be sent copies of this report, and I have placed copies in the Libraries of both Houses. An electronic version of the report has been placed on the Office of Science and Technology website at www.ost.gov.uk/policy/issues/index.htm.

Low Pay Commission

Lord Sainsbury of Turville: My right honourable friend the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry (Ms Hewitt) has made the following Written Ministerial Statement.
	Last summer the Government asked the Low Pay Commission to produce its next report on the national minimum wage by the end of February 2005. We asked the commission to monitor and evaluate the impact of the minimum wage and make recommendations on the need for any change.
	The Government are today publishing the commission's 2005 report and I would like to take this opportunity to thank the chair of the commission, Adair Turner, and its other members for their work on this very important issue.
	The main recommendations put forward by the commission concern the rates of the minimum wage.
	The commission has first recommended increasing the adult rate of the minimum wage from the present £4.85 to £5.05 in October 2005, and to £5.35 in October 2006, subject to confirmation by the commission in February 2006, to check that the macroeconomic conditions continue to make it appropriate, and in light of the implementation of forthcoming age discrimination legislation.
	The final key commission recommendation is that we should introduce interest charges on arrears of underpayment of the minimum wage and impose financial penalties for seriously non-compliant employers. The great majority of employers are either compliant or pay minimum wage arrears without the need for any formal enforcement action. However, the Government understand the underlying point that the commission makes about the need to tackle seriously non-compliant employers more effectively. We are already considering a number of options for improving enforcement and intend to make a Statement on this in early summer. We will consider the point about interest charges in this context.
	I would also like to take this opportunity to announce that the Government have decided not to pursue employers where workers are paid below the minimum wage in some pay periods, but above the minimum wage overall. Such action will enable us to concentrate our resources on employers deliberately seeking to pay workers below the minimum wage.
	I have placed copies of this Statement, the report from the Low Pay Commission, the Government's individual response to the commission's recommendations and our draft regulatory impact assessment in the House Libraries.

Equalities Review

Lord Sainsbury of Turville: My right honourable friend the Deputy Minister for Women and Equality (Jacqui Smith) has made the following Written Ministerial Statement.
	The Minister for the Cabinet Office (the Member for South Shields) and I are today announcing a review of the persistent social, economic and cultural factors that combine to deny individuals the opportunity to make the best of their abilities and contribute to society fully.
	The Equalities Review, which will report to the Prime Minister by the summer of 2006, will look at barriers to opportunity and will make practical recommendations on key policy priorities for the Government and public sector, employers and trades unions, civic society and the voluntary sector. Its findings will inform the modernisation of equality legislation and the development of the new Commission for Equality and Human Rights (CEHR).
	In the Queen's Speech, the Government announced that they intend to bring forward a Bill to establish the CEHR as soon as parliamentary time allows. The CEHR will bring together existing expertise from the current equality commissions on gender, disability and race and make provision for the new equality strands on sexual orientation, religion and belief and age, as well as promoting human rights. The Bill will also introduce provisions to outlaw discrimination on grounds of religion or belief in the provision of goods, facilities, services and public functions; and a general framework to introduce a duty on public bodies to promote equality of opportunity between women and men and prohibit sex discrimination in the exercise of public functions.
	It is widely recognised that in many cases the root causes of disadvantage go beyond discrimination and cannot therefore be rectified by anti-discrimination legislation alone. Earlier consultation on the CEHR also demonstrated considerable support for modernising equality legislation and creating a simpler, fairer, legal framework.
	In response to this and in conjunction with the equalities review, the Government will also now begin a review of discrimination legislation, led by the Department of Trade and Industry, which will benefit from the background and analysis that will be provided by the equalities review. This will assess how the equality legislative framework can be modernised to fit the needs of Britain in the 21st century. Specifically, proposals will aim to minimise the burdens on business and on public services while leading to demonstrably better outcomes for minority groups. This work will be the foundation for the development of a clearer and more streamlined legislative framework.
	The Prime Minister has asked Trevor Phillips to chair the equalities review in a personal capacity. He will be joined by a small panel of leaders from the fields of business, the public sector and the social policy arena. The review panel will draw advice from a reference group co-chaired by Bert Massie (chair, Disability Rights Commission) and Julie Mellor (chair, Equal Opportunities Commission) whose members will include key equality, human rights, business and trade union stakeholders and other experts. The equalities review will be supported by a Secretariat based in the Cabinet Office and will be overseen jointly by DTI and Cabinet Office Ministers.

Work and Families

Lord Sainsbury of Turville: My right honourable friend the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry (Ms Hewitt) has made the following Written Ministerial Statement.
	I am today publishing a consultation document Work and families: choice and flexibility. Through the consultation, we are seeking views on the details of commitments set out by my right honourable friend the Chancellor of the Exchequer in the 2004 Pre-Budget Report. These commitments will help us to deliver the Government's vision for families: to ensure that all children have the best start in life, respond to changing patterns of employment and give parents more choice about how to balance their work and family responsibilities.
	The Government have already introduced a number of measures to support working families, including longer maternity leave, increases in both statutory maternity pay and maternity allowance plus extending the payment period, new paid paternity and adoption leave and the right to request flexible working for parents of young or disabled children. However we recognise that families still face challenges in balancing their work and home responsibilities. There is a continuing evolution in family life and working patterns. In most families it is no longer the case that the father works and the mother stays at home to look after the children; instead both parents work.
	At the same time, many employers have found that greater flexibility suits their business very well, enabling them to attract and retain good quality staff, match their business needs with the needs of individuals and encourage a more committed and productive working environment.
	The measures we are proposing respond to these changes and will help us to deliver our vision for families. Through the consultation we will be asking for views on a number of commitments. We will extend statutory maternity pay, maternity allowance and statutory adoption pay from six to nine months from April 2007, towards the goal of a year's paid leave by the end of the next Parliament. Through the consultation, we will also be seeking views about how to simplify the maternity leave and pay arrangements.
	Improved communication between parents and employers during maternity and adoption leave is important for employers, helping them to plan their business more successfully, and for mothers who often want to keep in touch with what is going on at work. Through consultation, we are asking for views on whether we should place a new requirement on mothers to confirm their return date with their employers in advance and on increasing the period of notice that a mother must give if she wants to return earlier than originally planned. We would also like to hear suggestions about ways to improve communication between employers and employees during maternity leave and support women returning to work after time out because of caring responsibilities.
	We want to give more choice to parents about who cares for their child during the first year of their life and so we intend to introduce a new right for mothers to transfer a proportion of their statutory maternity leave and pay or allowance to fathers or between adopters. We are seeking views on options for how much leave and pay may be transferred from the mother to the father and how best to handle the administrative effects on the employers of the mother and the father, including managing the respective absences and ensuring that adequate notice is given of intended absence and return to work.
	Evidence has suggested that the right to request flexible working is operating successfully. Through the consultation, we will look at options for extending this right to carers of adults and to parents of older children. We also want to know if there is more the Government can do to assist employers handling requests for flexible working and help employees make requests.
	The consultation will enable us to firm up the details of our commitments to ensure the practical arrangements operate as smoothly as possible for parents, carers and business.
	Copies of the consultation document have been placed in the Libraries of both Houses and will be available on the DTI website at www.dti.gov.uk/workandfamilies.

Food Products: Sudan 1

Lord Warner: My honourable friend the Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Public Health (Miss Johnson) has made the following Written Ministerial Statement.
	I have been advised by the Food Standards Agency that on 18 February the agency issued advice to consumers not to eat foods that had inadvertently been contaminated with an illegal dye, Sudan 1. This advice follows previous action by the Food Standards Agency to ensure the withdrawal of a range of products containing contaminated chilli powder since July 2003.
	Sudan 1 could contribute to an increased risk of cancer and it is sensible to avoid eating any more. However, at the levels present the risk is likely to be very small and there is no risk of immediate ill-health.
	The Food Standards Agency, at the earliest practicable date, obtained an initial list of affected products (on the evening of 17 February) and published it together with its advice to consumers on 18 February. Further updates were published on 21 and 24 February, bringing the list of affected products to 474. The agency has taken the view that waiting for a single total list would provide less protection for consumers. The agency acted with all possible speed to inform consumers which products were affected so retailers and consumers could act on this advice.
	The agency has contacted the major catering suppliers and they have withdrawn affected products and these are included in the lists on the website. More than 150 smaller companies that received contaminated products have also withdrawn products from their customers and these products will be listed on the agency website as soon as information becomes available.
	Most of the products have now been withdrawn. Local authorities are pursuing this to ensure any remaining products are removed from sale as a matter of urgency. The agency is considering with local authorities what enforcement action may be necessary.
	Since July 2003 all dried and crushed or ground hot chilli and hot chilli products entering the EU must have been tested for Sudan 1. The risk has been widely publicised in the UK food industry and affected products were withdrawn from sale. The Food Standards Agency and local authorities routinely test over 1,000 products a year for Sudan 1.
	Food companies have a legal obligation to remove from sale products that do not meet food safety requirements and to inform the Food Standards Agency and local authorities, and advise consumers about the withdrawal.